October 29, 2007...1:11 pm
A Taste For Potatoes
Indians are suffering from a syndrome which seems to have no treatment in sight- the pseudo-Indian syndrome. The symptoms of this syndrome are evident everywhere. Schoolchildren lighting diyas in villages and towns, people in remote corners of India distributing sweets, women dancing with joy and so on, all because the son or a daughter of a former resident who quit the country fifty years ago has achieved success thousands of kilometers away. TV crews chasing the drivers, aunties, uncles of the so called person of Indian origin-what a sight!
You can’t find a nation more obsessed with its diaspora than India. We are so proud of our achievements abroad that every time an NRI wins even a spelling contest in America, it is sure to find space in our newspapers. Sanjaya Malakar, the American Idol contestant whose father was an Indian, thanked his maternal Italian grandfather in his interviews but Indians world over voted and prayed for him claiming him to be one of our own . Geethali Norah Jones Shankar dropped the first and last extensions of her name when she turned 16. After winning the Grammy she says-’ that if anything, she felt more Texan than New Yorker’ (India did not figure). Sunita Williams was born in the USA to an Indian father (who became an American) and a mother of Slovenian heritage (the Slovenian press reproduced articles about how India was trying to appropriate their daughter of the soil). Before that Kalpana Sharma, V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Monty Panesar, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ashok Amrithraj all of them have an Indian connection. The latest to join this list is Bobby Jindal. India wants to claim him as one of their own. His election as the governor of Louisiana is a significant achievement for an Indian-American, but except for his Indian parents there is very little Indian in him. His ancestral village Khanpura erupted in celeberation at the success of its son. He wasn’t even born on that soil. He changed his name to Bobby from an Indian ‘Piyush’. He converted to Catholicism as a teenager- the reason for that could be religious or political. I read somewhere- Louisiana may vote for a brown man but definitely not for a non-Catholic. I’m sure if he could change his color just like his religion, he would sure do that. He looks brown but as somebody commented on TV- he is like a “potato”: brown on the outside, white on the inside.
Are we Indians so desparate to announce that we’ve arrived that we credit the success of anybody even remotely connected to India to his Indian roots, however weak they may be? Or is this a manifestation of our reverance for all that is Western and consequently superior to our own?
12 Comments
October 29, 2007 at 1:34 pm
“Are we Indians so desparate to announce that we’ve arrived that we credit the success of anybody even remotely connected to India to his Indian roots, however weak they may be? Or is this a manifestation of our reverance for all that is Western and consequently superior to our own?”
These questions would cover the universe of possible explanatory hypotheses, if you had also quoted how other nations report on their diaspora as a comparison (which may show whether or not the Indian coverage is disproportionate). British press also reports the British origins of people who have long since had nothing to do with Britain e.g. Tim Berners Lee being a good example.
It is also possible that Indians have something worth showing off in the first place, unlike some other migrant groups. Public success also suggests that Indians are a well-integrated and desirable immigrant population in their host nations. For instance, as far as I know there is not a single MP/ senator or representative of Chinese/ French origin in the UK/ US respectively, although both groups have lived here for very long. London in fact is the 5th largest city of French people in the world. The other 4 are in France.
Sharing in someone’s glory is a natural human instinct, nothing more sinister, nor less onerous. If there is a common thread, it makes for a better story. That is it.
Or would you rather hear about the arms dealers, tax dodgers, drug cartels and traffickers - there are plenty of Indians who do this stuff too, while living abroad?
October 29, 2007 at 4:49 pm
I think, Prerna, this is more a media requirement: to create a local flavor or give a new angle the natives will like. And the readership or viewership behaves predictably and generates more interest in these folks.
October 29, 2007 at 5:15 pm
won’t you like the idea that an Indian is ruling over several million whites and americans?
October 29, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Ankur, Bobby Jindal is hardly an Indian by any standard.
By the way, he supports the teaching of creationism in American schools, favours a blanket ban on abortion, opposes stem cell research and is one of the staunchest supporters of the Iraq war.
October 29, 2007 at 8:06 pm
nice point
i dont blame them , cause the nation hardly stresses or bothers about remote corners
its always bollywood kollywood or cricket if not the politicians
but must also understand that it is their claim to fame and their proverbial 5 minutes of glory on tv
October 30, 2007 at 12:07 am
There has been a good deal of discussion about this in the Indian media as well, especially after Sunita Williams’ space feat. (Interestingly enough, Williams visited India recently, correct?).
I made an attempt to address this craze in one of my posts at BlogHer (http://blogher.org/node/21491). I feel it’s more about reassurance of our capabilities than a desperation for world recognition: the fact that we are not inferior as a race and given the right opportunities, we can excel.
I cannot say I am too happy with this kind of basking in reflected glory, but I’d much rather that Indians fussed over Sunita Williams and Kalpana Chawla than over Britney Spears or “Big Brother” Shilpa Shetty
October 30, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Anshul has answered your question Ankur.
I agree with you Rambodoc. Media has its own role to play in this.
//Or would you rather hear about the arms dealers, tax dodgers, drug cartels and traffickers - there are plenty of Indians who do this stuff too, while living abroad?//We have plenty of these here in India. No other govt will accept them Shefaly.
Thanks Prax.
Why would we fuss about Britney Spears @SS? Is she 1/108th Indian too. We definitely fussed about Shilpa Shetty as she suffered due to racism.
Welcome @SS.
October 30, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Thanks pr3rna for the welcome note.!
Ah well racism! There’s a good reason why England fussed over her (Shilpa). She opened a Pandora’s box for them — repressed racism.
But India fussing over her? Give me a break!! We have far worse forms of racism in our country that needs some dealing with. We need to fix our own house efore we point fingers at others.
Shilpa Shetty is the last person on earth who needs any help from us to fight for her rights.
As a country I was happy people stood by her for a change, but the fuss was exactly that — a fuss.
Ref. to Britney Spears was chiefly to point out the pointlessness of discussing her (yes, she’s all over the media in the country I live in now), and also, come to think of it, for all practical purposes, Sunita is as American as Britney.
O, by the way, Britney’s visit to a Hindu Temple was covered by the Indian media, alright!!
HA! HA!
October 30, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Well I guess people like to take pride in whatever they can and the media does its part as has been mentioned.
Does this mean you have changed your previous stance on the compatibility of Indians and non-Indians pr3rna?
I don’t think that Indian migrants have any particular advantage or disadvantage over other migrant groups. The question is how much of a ‘potato’ are these people and does it matter? Not everyone is the same who comes from a particular country, you could travel to another country and not change at all and you would still be no more different from the ‘average’ person there than some of the locals. There are always cultural norms but even most of the locals don’t fully conform so there is no need for immigrants to.
Oh and I wouldn’t say that being elected is a sign of a successful person in a good way - think of what it takes to be elected.Its not a popularity contest. Nobody likes their politicians and many people are liked by their community who are not elected.
Let the children distribute sweets and the women dance for joy even if the reason is flawed if it makes their lives happier.
Paul
October 31, 2007 at 1:09 am
I tend to agree with the local news flavor that rambodoc suggested. You see the same thing here in Utah, with headlines that say, “Utah Scientist wins XXX.” You’d think he was born and bred here, but he just happened to have worked here during one of his many jobs.
Over and over again. If somebody in Massachusetts does something important, and their family lives in Utah, we take credit for it. “Utah Family Connection Important In Massachusetts,” or some such.
If you’ve ever lived in the state long enough to have had a mailing address, or if any of your relatives ever have, we’ll claim you as one of ours.
BTW, I think that “Utah Scientist” was originally from India. Seriously.
October 31, 2007 at 8:15 am
@ss, I should agree with you// But India fussing over her? Give me a break!! We have far worse forms of racism in our country that needs some dealing with. We need to fix our own house before we point fingers at others.// but unfortunately If I fight with a member of my family it is fine but if somebody from outside does it It is not easy to accept . Being an Indian, if I complain about my country it is Ok but the moment somebody else does it we are in a defensive mode. Honest confession :))
//Does this mean you have changed your previous stance on the compatibility of Indians and non-Indians pr3rna?// Definitely not Paul. Indian migrants do have disadvantage over white migrant groups. I am sorry I am talking of colour but this is a bitter truth. When you talk of advantage over migrant groups you accept that there is a disadvantage over the native population. This happens all over the world including India. Paul accept it or not racism exists all over the world.
October 31, 2007 at 8:18 am
Welcome Knotkeats.
//BTW, I think that “Utah Scientist” was originally from India. Seriously// I loved the last line:)) ready to take credit as an Indian.
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